Rue's Story
by BeautifulSeekers
Summary: The annual hunger games has come again, and Districts are called to see who will be their participants. District 11 is a overgrown with poverty. Rue lives with her parents and her five younger siblings, and as she is turning 12 she is automatically in this years draw. Will the odds ever be in her favour?


p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"I stood up perched in a tree looking at the worn and old district I live in. The once beautiful forests lay dead and battered with their branches all cracked and pricked up like sharp knives. The tree I stood in was one of many which still survived through these sad times, and really like a second home to me./p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"Peering through its hunter green leaves, I watched as some men were walking in the fertile fields to start their hard days work. They would come here every day as a ritual like I did, though today I came for a bit more reassurance. The sun still wasn't present, so I lay back and hummed my short four note tune. I remembered the first time I whistled it as a call to say that the working day was finished, and soon after the mocking jays nearby learnt the tune and whistled it with me when the day was over.p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"Treading carefully, I climbed a couple of branches towards the top of the tree and poked my head out of the top. A small fresh breeze whispered by and brushed the leaves surrounding me. I inhaled and exhaled wishing for this moment to never end, hoping that today could be over already. But it wouldn't be. I would have to face something that others have faced before me. The reaping.p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"Lowering my head with frustration, I slowly glided down a few tree branches and leaped out of the grand tree. I shuffled my wild crisp hair, removing all the small leaves that lay silently in it. I shivered slightly as the thought of the horrible reaping appeared in my head. I had my name only put in one time since I have turned twelve and it is my first year in this experience. Though if I wanted to have some 'Tesserae' I would have had to put my name in the reaping bowl a couple more times. The Tesserae is just enough food and oil for one person for a year, so many people in the Districts usually sign up for this so that they can feed their families. I didn't since most of us start in our second year if we survive the reaping.p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"I started to drag my feet slowly and wistfully through the muddy and murky path that lay in front of me. I thought about my family and how they would - and should - still be asleep at this time. They never knew that I walked among the paths in the woods at this time of day, and they would probably never know. My eyes widened suddenly as I remembered what my mum had told me last night:p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;""Wake up early in the morning so that you can be properly prepared. I will be awake the usual time to help you."p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"I cursed silently to myself and started to sprint through the winding paths and dodged random rocks that seemed to be planted here and there. As I entered a small clearing, there was the slight scent of honey looming in the clear air. Slowly I inhaled its sweet intoxicating scent and smiled. I had loved honey ever since the day I was born, but I was only allowed it when I had a cough since it helped to sooth my treacherous throat.p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"Blinking back to reality, little specks were starting to appear from behind the hills. Mother was surely going to be awake by now! I started to run again, tripping over my feet but continuing on at times. I could see the little shack from a distance, and as it slowly came closer to view, I squinted my eyes so that I could see closer. Not a light in the house! Great news for me but that didn't mean that mother wasn't close to waking! I continued to run until I climbed up a creeper which was lined on the side of the house and swung through the window into my room with an echoing thud. p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"I heard movement and saw a light flicker from behind my door. I quickly jumped into my side of the bed and closed my eyes slightly. Footsteps came closer and closer to the door, the thudding noise seemed louder as the shadow cam closer. The door creaked open slowly, and I half opened my eyes, pretending to have just woken up from my sleep.p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;""Rue, was that you who made the noise?" my Mother inquired.p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;""No Mother, it must have been from outside." I said as innocently as possible.p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;""Well since you are awake, why don't we get you ready for the reaping?" she asked with a fake smile plastered against her face.p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"I forced a smile upon my face, and stood up in my muddy clothes and followed my Mother into the bathroom where she had placed my best clothes ready for me to wear. I stopped at the doorway and stared towards my mother. I tried to hide the worried look in my eyes, but it didn't seem to work as a silent tear glided gracefully down my face. p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"My mother got up quickly and walked towards me and rubbed the tear from my cheek and brought her hands underneath my chin and lifted my head up to face hers. Her beady brown eyes were filled with caring love. She planted a small smile on her face and whispered "It is going to be okay Rue, don't worry."p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"I nodded and gave her a small smile. She had been through this so she would surely know how I felt at this moment in time. Mother was a lucky one since she was never selected. Many people were never selected, so I guess she was like one of them ordinary people from District 11. I just wish I didn't have to go through this!p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"I was never good with pressurizing events, but all I ever did was stare blankly and show no emotion. Really that is what I did everyday just to avoid the people around me. I did a slight smile at the thought of it, and brought myself slowly back to reality.p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"My mother was quickly sorting out the order which I would put my clothes on. She lay down some lacey pearl white leggings on the small bathroom cupboard, with my pale pink flowery dress next to it. Mt mother had sewn small flowers in to the edges of it as she used to work as a dress maker before being a farmers wife, and she had kept it from the day which she had made it. p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"I slowly stepped into the cold shower and brushed off all the leaves and mud off of my smooth caramel skin. Once I was finished, I quickly wrapped a rough towel around me and dried myself. I slipped into the leggings, adjusting them at the bottom making sure they look as nice as possible. My mother helped me to get the dress on, and turned me round to face a cracked mirror. p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"The outfit looked beautiful, and as I did a small twirl, I could feel my mother beaming proudly on me. The only thing that was out of order was my wild obnoxious hair bouncing wildly in its tight curls. Mother quickly took a small part and plaited it until my head wad completely plaited, with a small homemade like hairband at the front. p  
>p style="line-height: 24.4799995422363px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #fefefe;"Mother added in some small wild pink flowers into my hair, and whispered "Good luck my beautiful Rue, may the odds ever be in your favor."p


End file.
